Haworthia
Haworthiopsis fasciata (zebra haworthia) & relatives
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Shield from hot direct sun. Many haworthias slow down in peak heat, so don't force water on them.
🍂 Fall
Taper watering as light drops and enjoy the flush of new leaf growth in the cooler weeks.
❄️ Winter
Water roughly monthly, keep it cool and bright, and skip fertilizer entirely.
🌱 Spring
Resume regular soak-and-dry watering and repot crowded clumps as growth restarts.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Bright indirect; tolerates lower light than most succulents, but harsh direct sun scorches the rosettes
- Ideal PPFD
- 150–400 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 14–24 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Soak-and-dry: water deeply at the soil line, let it drain, then let the mix dry out completely. Keep water out of the tight rosette, where it lingers and rots the crown.
- Fertilizer
- Cactus/succulent feed at ½ strength, ~every 6–8 wks in spring–summer; none in winter.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Gritty cactus/succulent mix with extra perlite or pumice; pH 6.0–7.5
- Humidity
- Low; tolerates dry air (30–50%)
- Temperature
- 65–80 °F
- Mature size
- 3–8 in rosette
- Repotting
- Every 2–3 yrs, or when pups crowd the pot
- Propagation
- Offsets ("pups") twisted off and potted once they have a few roots; leaf cuttings work but are slow.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Mushy, translucent leaves; rosette loosens; blackened base
- Underwatering signs
- Thin, wrinkled leaves with dry, reddish or browning tips
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, fungus gnats (in soggy soil), occasional scale
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Haworthia looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Mushy, translucent lower leaves
Likely cause
Overwatering.
What to do
Let the soil dry completely, use gritty mix, and water at the soil rather than into the rosette.
Turning red, brown, or bleached
Likely cause
Sun stress. Haworthias want bright indirect light, not the blasting sun other succulents enjoy.
What to do
Move it out of direct midday sun; the color recovers over a few weeks.
Stretching upward and losing its tight rosette
Likely cause
Too little light.
What to do
Bright indirect light. Offsets can be separated and started fresh.
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